After LSU won the title in 2007, they hit reset on the roster, on the coaching staff, on many of the things that Miles built his team around in his first three seasons in Baton Rouge.

There was a lot of talent coming back, but a lot of it unproven. The heart of the 2007 squad (Hester, Dorsey, Flynn) were gone to the pros. Other stalwarts (Highsmith, Steltz, Doucet) were off as well.

Though LSU returned talents like Tyson Jackson, Richard Dickson and Brandon LaFell, they needed to find a QB and an identity on defense. Turns out, they couldn’t find either.